Eric Oliver and John Wilson have enjoyed a highly respected
reputation in the security industry over the past 20 years as a result
of the outstanding success of their book Practical Security in Commerce
and Industry. The fifth edition by John Wilson and Ted Slater, like its
predecessors, is directed at security in Britain. The revised text
discusses the many new challenges facing security personnel. Legal
concepts relevant to many offenses against security are skillfully explained from both a practical and theoretical perspective.

Practical Security in Commerce and Industry contains eight major
sections with each section containing several related chapters. The
general information provided in the first section of the book guides the
reader through all eight sections - from formulating security policy to
basic hiring and training. This section alone is so valuable that it
makes the book a necessity for even the novice security
practitioner's library.

Also, Practical Security in Commerce and Industry has 29 appendixes
that serve as valuable and practical reference guides. I was
particularly impressed by their scope and substance. For example,
Appendix Seven contains six pages on standing orders for a security
staff, and Appendix Eight has three pages on books and records needed in
the security office. This section also contains numerous examples of
checklists, job descriptions, various security forms, schedules,
internal cash procedures, and samples of other valuable forms.

Despite these factors, however, the subject matter covered in the
book is too broad. Many subjects such as explosives, security in
offices, industrial espionage, commercial fraud, and security in hotels
and hospitals are only briefly discussed. Even the sections devoted to
specialty subjects such as security and control of road transport cannot
be adequately addressed in a book this size. As they are presented here,
they seem isolated from the main theme of basic guard force
responsibilities and support functions.

Though not exciting, the book is well written. It is worth reading
and adding to the library of any practitioner, whether a novice or a
professional in the field.